The Penguins have two games left before their “bye week”, as Sidney Crosby calls it. They’ll play Florida tomorrow night and Montreal on Saturday, and then be off for ten days while the NHL enters the All-Star break.
The team returned to the practice ice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex yesterday after a disappointing two-game trip in which they lost to Vegas and Arizona.
Coach Mike Sullivan says the Penguins can’t be worried about the playoff chase. They’re in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and are five points behind Detroit for the second Wild Card. Sullivan says if they play the way they can play, the wins will come.
Sullivan says they planned for the long layoff before the season began, so they’ll be ready when they start playing games again.
Captain Sidney Crosby says the fight to make the playoffs will make them a better hockey team.
Crosby says the losses to Vegas and Arizona are behind them, and they are focused on finishing well before the All-Star break.
At practice yesterday, Sullivan elevated bottom-six forward Colin White to Evgeni Malkin’s second line, sending Brian Rust back to his old post on the Crosby line with Jake Guentzel, and dropping Rickard Rakell to Lars Eller’s third line.
Defenseman John Ludvig skated before the practice wearing a non-contact jersey. He did not practice with the team. He’s eligible to return from long-term injured reserve on Saturday, but he most likely will not be back until after the All-Star break.
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